With the fleet's new flagship, the Musica, scheduled to launch in Venice this summer, you can opt for a seven-night cruise followed by a sevennight stay in Lake Garda.

Sailing from (and back to) Venice, the cruise takes in Bari in Italy, Katakolon in Greece, Turkey's Izmir and Istanbul and Dubrovnik in Croatia.

If the western Mediterranean is more your bag then there's an alternative . . . sail from Naples and enjoy the sights of Italy, Tunisia, Spain and Morocco, topping it all off with a relaxing week on Sorrento's terra firma.

Prices start from 1,639 per person sharing for the Naples/Sorrento option, with Venice/Lake Garda from 2,079, and include flights, full-board cruise, transfers and a week's accommodation with halfboard on dry land.

See Topflight's Italy and Sicily brochure for summer 2006 or check out the details at 01-2401700, www. topflight. ie.

Snow better deal

THINKING of a lastminute ski break?

Directski has dropped its prices and has some great offers for the month of March if you're in a position to book before 5pm this Tuesday.

You'll save 180 per person, for example, if you sign up for seven nights on a B&B basis in Kaprun in Austria, where the holiday will now cost 299 per person, with two sharing, flying from Dublin on 18 March. Other destinations with significant savings include Bulgaria, Andorra, France and Italy.

Book (quickly) online at www. directski. com or ring 1890 201 205.

Culloden victory

HOTEL news: the Culloden Hotel outside Belfast has been named . . . by the Association of British Travel Agents . . . as one of the top 100 hotels in the world. With a 0.75m refurbishment of its spa now completed, this makes the Culloden's the only fivestar spa in Northern Irelandf Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, OrientExpress Hotels has acquired its 50th property, adding Casa de Sierra Nevada, a 33-room hotel in Mexico, to its portfolio.

Situated in San Miguel de Allende, the hotel comprises nine Spanish colonial buildings dating from the 16th to the 18th century.

Orient-Express intends to add 20 new suites, an extended spa and a new pool, all of which should make regular guests like Johnny Depp, Salma Hayek and Melanie Griffith even more appreciative.

May day glory

IF YOU'RE lucky enough to be able to holiday in May, one of the best times to take a break, then Sunway has some tempting one-week offers. In the Canaries, for example, 319 will get you a self-catering week in Gran Canaria with Lanzarote from 339 and Fuerteventura from 389.

Morocco is even cheaper at 309, while a three-star hotel in Croatia starts from 399. More May offers on